Spark-plug



J. B. Y-OCH.

SPARK PLUG.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19, m9.

1,359,140. Patented Nov. 16,1920.

jgrz.

UNITED STATES PIATENT OFFICE.

JACOB .B. x0011, or sir. LOUIS, mssounr.

SPARK-PLUG.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented N 16 1920 Application filed June 19, 1919. Serial No. 305,261.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB B. YooH, a citizen of the United States of America, a resident of the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spark-Plugs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to spark plugs for use in internal combustion engines, and has for its object the production of a spark plug providing for self cleaning of its electrodes and the insulator, thereby dispensing with the necessity for extraction of the plug to remove deposits of carbon and oil lodging on the electrodes and the insulator. T0 attain the desired object, the spark plug is so constructed as to provide for movementof certain of its parts under the influence of forces in the internal combustion engine and wiping or scraping action due to such movement.

Figure I is an elevation, partly in section,

of a spark plug constructed in accordance with my invention. I

Fig. II is a top view of the spark plug, shown in Fig. I, with the insulator and parts conjoined thereto shown in section taken on line IIII, Fig. I. I I

I Fig. III is an enlarged vertical section through the insulator cleaning device.

Fig. IV is a vertical section through a modified form of self cleaning spark plug.

Fig. V is an enlarged elevation of the inner electrode of the spark plug shown in.

Fig. IV, and the wiper for cleaning both electrodes of said spark plug.

Fig. VI is a cross section taken on line VIVI, Fig. V. I I

Fig. VII is an elevation showing the face of the wiper which operates upon the inner electrode of the modified spark plug.

In the drawings, A designates a bushing such as is commonly inserted into the cylinders of internal combustion engines to re- I ceive spark plugs.

1 designates the shell of my spark plug. 2 is an electrode secured to said shell at its inner end and extending inwardly toward the axis of the shell, said electrode being preferably of wire and having a loop 3 formed therein to constitute the sparking member of the electrode, and having a finger extending from said loop adapted to serve as a wiper for a second electrode, as will hereinafter appear. 5 designates the insulator of my spark plug. This insulator extends longitudinally in the sleeve 1 and instead of being immovably held therein, as is usual in spark plugs,

'is loosely arranged in the sleeve so that it to be hereinafter fully explained. An inner electrode 12, extending longitudinally through the insulator 5, leads into proximity with the electrode 2 and the wiper finger 4 carried thereby, and when the insulator is in lowered position the spark member 3 of said electrode 2'is in close relation with a Wiper 13 carried by the electrode 12, and the sparking element of said electrode 12 is in close relation to the wiper finger 4, the relation of said wipers and electrodes being such that when the insulator is reciprocated the wipers will serve to clean' the electrode sparking members. The wiper members 4: and 13 are preferably serrated or otherwise roughened to facilitate the cleaning operation.

To provide for the cleaning of the inner end of the insulator which is exposed to accumulation of carbon and oil, I surround said inner end of the insulator with one or more'wiper rings 14 (see Figs. I and III),

said wiper rings being provided with shanks 15 set into the body 1 of the spark plug. During the reciprocation of the insulator, the wiper rings act to effectually remove any deposits lodged upon the inner portion of the insulator.

In the use of my spark plug already do- I scribed, the insulator of the plug is held retracted from the position in which it is shown in Fig, I to derive the desired sparking action, the spark occurring between the sparking member 3 of the electrode 2 and I the sparking member of the electrode 12 extending beyond the wiper 13 on the last mentioned electrode. To maintain the insulator in retracted position to provide the sparkploy a retracting device comprising a cam 1 16 rotatable on the stem 17 of a yoke 18 fitted to an annular rib 19 secured to the bushing 10, said rib being provided with a plurality of recesses, into any two of which the yoke 18 maybe fitted. The cam 16 is located beneath and adapted to engage a rib or abutment 20 on the insulator 5. A spring 21 serves to rotate the cam 16 on said stein 17, and when the insulator 5 is in its retracted position, the cam 16 is held in engagement with the abutment 20 under the influence of said spring 21, the sparking members of the electrodes 2 and 12 being at such time opposed to each other for sparking action and the inner end of the insulator being withdrawn from the wiper rings 14 in order that sparking action may take place, without'the existence of any closed circuit.

When the spark plug is to be cleaned under the influence of forces within an engine cylinder, the cam 16 is rotated on the stem 17 against the action of the spring 21 to the position in which it is seen in Fig. I, and during the recurrent compression and suction strokes in the engine cylinder the insulator 5 is caused to move outwardly and inwardly in a reciprocating manner in the sleeve of the spark plug, the outward movement occurring during compression stroke and the inward movement during suction stroke, with the spring 11 assisting when the suction stroke is taking place. Following a proper number of reciprocations of the insulator to provide for the cleaning of the electrodes by the wipers a and 13, and the cleaning of the insulator by the wiper rings 14, the cam 16 is released and the spring 21 acts to restore said cam into position against the abutment 20 to maintain the insulator in retracted position, the wipers 4: and 13 being thereby sufiiciently removed from the electrode sparking members to prevent sparking between the wiper members and the electrodes.

Referring now to the modification shown in Figs. IV to VII, A designates a bushing within which is arranged a packing ring 9 held by a bushing 10' seated in the bushing A. 1 is'a spark plug body sleeve reciprocatingly fitted in the bushing A, and surrounded by the packing rings 9-. This sleeve is provided at its upper end with a rib 1 which serves as a stop to limit the inward movementof said sleeve within said bushing. Above the rib 1 is a spring 11 confined by a cap 22 fitted to the bushing 10' and surrounding the insulator 5. Electrodes 2' and 12' carried respectively by the body sleeve 1 and the insulator 5 are spaced apart to provide a proper spark gap, and when. the sleeve 1 and the insulator 5' are retracted jointly from the position in which they are seen in Fig. IV, sparking action will take place as is usual in spark plugs. While thespark plug is in firing position the cam 16 bears against the abutment 20',

being held thereagainst under the influence of the spring 21 as in the previously described construction.

The means for cleaning the electrodes 2 and 12 consists of a wiper 23 preferably in the form of a wire secured to the bushing A. This wiper terminates in a finger 24 which extends between the electrodes 2 and 12 when'the spark plug moves inwardly and outwardly with reciprocating motion after movement of the cam 16 from restraining infiuence upon the spark plug. The faces of the wiper finger 24 are preferably roughened to scrape the electrodes topiston strokes of an explosive engine inwhich the spark plug is used, and means for automatically removing deposits from the insulator during longitudinal movement of the insulator, in response to said piston strokes.

2. A spark plug comprising a shell, an insulator movable longitudinally in said shell in response to piston strokes of an explosive engine in which the spark plug is'used, an electrode carried by said shell, an electrode carried by said insulator, a cleaner supported by said shell for cleaning said insulator, and a cleaner movable with said insulator for cleaning the electrode supported by said shell. Y

3. A spark plug comprising a shell, an insulator movable longitudinally in said shell in response to piston strokes of an explosive engine in which the spark plug is used, and a cleaner ring fixed to said shellby which the inner end of the insulator is cleaned during longitudinal movement thereof.

5. A spark plug comprising a stationary member and a second member movable longitudinally relative to the other. member, each of said members being provided with an electrode and the movable member being movable in response to piston strokes of an explosive engine, electrode-cleaning means whereby deposits are removed from said electrodes during longitudinal movement of said movable member, and means whereby said movable member may be restrained from movement in response to piston strokes of the explosive engine, said last named means comprising a cam for engagement with the movable member of the spark plug.

6. A spark plug comprising a stationary member and a second member movable longitudinally relative to the other member, each of said members being provided with an electrode and the movable member being movable in response to piston strokes of an explosive engine, electrode-cleaning means whereby deposits are removed from said electrodes during longitudinal movement of said movable member, and means whereby said movable member may be restrained from movement in response to piston strokes of the explosive engine, said last named means comprising a spring controlled cam for engagement with the movable'member of the spark plug.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I hereunto aflix my si ature.

. EXCOB B. YOCH. 

